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Comment by superqd | Hacker News Reader

The whole "flying car" phrase gets tossed around far too much. Every "flying car" I've seen marketed, is either 1) a small VTOL airplane, or 2) a small airplane that folds up so it can be driven on the street. Most things are more airplane than car, so it's more accurate to say they are driving planes, than flying cars.

I've yet to see a car than can fly, i.e., something more car-like that can also fly.

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There's this thing that transforms between plane and car: https://www.reddit.com/r/gifs/comments/ainmf2/from_car_to_pl...

It's kinda funny-looking, but at least it seems like equal attention was paid to the plane and car functions, rather than just making a plane that is theoretically road-worthy.

(Not sure how it's supposed to get better mileage in the air than on the ground, though.)

That's a good example of what I mean. I've seen that before as well, and it's more plane like than car, IMHO. Folding the wings just makes it a plane that you can fit into a lane on a street.

I can't imagine anything that is practical, fits in its lane, and can also fly efficiently. Not saying that it can't be done, but I have a hard time envisioning what it might look like.

It may not be practical, but in the world of scifi, I think we have lots of artistic attempts to design what such a vehicle might look like. Take most of the "cars" in The Fifth Element. They don't have wings, and are essentially cars that have some sort of lifting unit where tires would have been. But they look more car-like that plane-like, and fit what I think most of us regard as a "flying car".

It might look like this? (Warning - not pretty)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hafner_Rotabuggy

Also. http://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/article/6/3/0/530630_v1.j...

The flying Jeep and the flying Pinto (the latter had disastrous results).

I currently own a Jeep. My dad once owned a Pinto.

Who in their right mind would think "You know, this is the perfect car to strap some wings to!" for either of these vehicles?

That's just giving the middle finger to the god's of flight begging for a quick death.

Again, in the the flying Pinto's case - that's what happened.

Hahaha. Thanks, I was actually trying to picture what a helicopter car would look like, and now I know.

You're conflating car with automobile. Also you don't need any license as it is autonomous.

I think I conflated them because they are synonymous :^) From Google:

Definition of "car": a road vehicle, typically with four wheels, powered by an internal combustion engine and able to carry a small number of people.

Definition of "automobile": a road vehicle, typically with four wheels, powered by an internal combustion engine and able to carry a small number of people.

Popular usage has made them synonymous but the original definition of car that is being used here is not synonymous. Note there are elevator cars, train cars, etc. None of them are road vehicles with four wheels. A car is basically just a cart. Examples of this are words like decimate and awful where there is semantic drift.

Point taken. But still, the imagery of an automobile flying is what I've always thought of when I heard the phrase "flying car". Not a plane that can be driven.

Yeah me too

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